Kissing Frogs

Gloria’s granddaughter still needed to learn something about love . . .

GLORIA had just finished emptying the dishwasher when the kitchen door opened and her granddaughter, Lacey, strolled in.

Surprised because she hadn’t been expecting to see her, Gloria was about to give her a broad grin, but then looked more closely at the fourteen-year-old’s face. Had Lacey been crying? Taking the girl’s heavy schoolbag from her, Gloria put her arm around her granddaughter and led her into the kitchen.

“You sit at the table and I’ll put the kettle on, Lacey.”

“Oh, Gran,” Lacey sobbed, wiping away escaping tears with her hands. “It’s just awful. I don’t know what I’m going to do.”

“I’ll tell you what you’re not doing,” Gloria informed her, passing over a nearby box of tissues. “You’re not sitting there crying when I don’t know what’s going on.

“Has something happened at school?”

Lacey shook her head and then nodded, confusing her gran even more.

“What is Beth going to say about it?” Gloria asked.

She knew that Beth was Lacey’s best friend and was sure to know what was going on.

The mention of Beth made Lacey stop crying and reach for a tissue to wipe her tears away.

“Beth doesn’t know,” Lacey finally admitted as her gran slid a mug of hot tea towards her. “I don’t know how to tell her.

“I don’t want her to think I’m an idiot . . .”

Gloria shook her head. “You forget that Beth and I know and love you. Beth already knows you’re an idiot.

“She’s seen your Hallowe’en costumes over the years!” she teased.

This raised a watery smile from Lacey.

“Do you remember when I told you that a new girl had joined our class?

“Anne-marie?” Lacey continued. “And Beth and I tried to make her feel at home?”

Gloria nodded. “I remember. Her family moved from Birmingham, is that right?”

“Yes.” Lacey nodded. “Her dad got promoted and the family had to move here.

“She’s a really nice girl, but the problem is that she and I like the same boy.”

Lacey’s eyes dropped and she faltered for a moment.

“And I just found out this afternoon that he’s asked her out to the pictures.”

Things suddenly became clearer to Gloria.

This was a “boy problem”. Wasn’t it strange how quickly they grew up?

Gloria could see in her mind’s eye her three-yearold granddaughter sitting at the same kitchen table doing her colouring in, her tongue sticking out in concentration.

And now she was a beautiful young girl who thought the world had come to an end.

“I see,” Gloria replied, keeping her voice sounding serious. “Well, you’d better tell me the details, then.

“Just let me text your grandad first and tell him to bring home extra fish and chips.

“He’s working in the charity shop today and is treating me to my tea tonight.”

“Fish and chips sounds good, Gran.” Lacey sniffed.

“Well, help yourself to a biscuit from the biscuit tin while I text him.”

Returning to her seat at the kitchen table a few moments later, Gloria drew the biscuit tin towards herself and realised that quite a few digestives had gone missing.

Lacey’s heartbreak certainly wasn’t affecting her appetite.

“So, who is this boy you both like?” Gloria asked, prompting her granddaughter to tell her the story.

“He’s in our year,” Lacey began to explain. “I’ve liked him for ages, Gran, but I didn’t really say anything to anyone.

“I didn’t know Anne-marie liked him, too!”

“Let me get this straight,” Gloria replied. “Beth and Anne-marie had no idea you even liked this boy. You hadn’t said a word?”

Lacey blushed and shook her head.

“I couldn’t say anything to Beth. He lives across the

road from her and she thinks he’s awful.

“She’s never had a nice thing to say about him.”

“That’s funny because you usually trust Beth’s judgement,” Gloria commented. “What is it about this boy that you think she’s got wrong?”

“I just think she’s biased,” Lacey replied. “She remembers things like the time he put worms down her top or pushed her too high on the rope swing.”

Lacey sighed and Gloria tried not to smile.

They were still kids, although Lacey didn’t realise it.

“So Beth had no idea you liked him,” Gloria said. “What about Anne-marie? Did you mention it to her?”

“No.” Lacey shook her head. “I wasn’t going to tell her if I hadn’t told Beth.”

“Right, I think I’ve got it now,” her grandmother declared. “Tell me if I’m wrong.

“But unless this boy and Anne-marie are psychic and knew that you liked him, they haven’t really done anything wrong.

“They certainly haven’t set out to hurt you,” Gloria added. “Is that right?”

Lacey looked at her gran in surprise and then nodded wordlessly a few moments later.

“How were they supposed to know?” Gloria reasoned with her and saw realisation dawn slowly in Lacey’s eyes.

“You’re right, Gran,” the young girl agreed. “I’ve been really mad at both of them this afternoon, and I had no real right to be.”

“Who is this mysterious boy anyway?” Gloria patted her hand. “

“Ben Wilson,” Lacey admitted. “He’s on the football team and is a real hunk.”

“Is he?” Gloria asked. “Well, I’m sure he’s a perfectly nice boy.

“He’s just doing what you all should be doing at your age – he’s kissing frogs.”

“Kissing frogs?” Lacey’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “What are you talking about?”

Gloria drew herself up straight in her chair and looked at her granddaughter seriously.

“Has your mum not had the talk with you about dating boys?”

Lacey blushed bright red and couldn’t meet Gloria’s eye.

“My mum gave me that talk,” Gloria went on, “and I gave it to your mum when she started being interested in boys.

“It’s called the ‘kissing frogs’ talk.”

Lacey looked exasperated. “Gran, I’ve no idea what you’re talking about. Is this from the fairy tale about kissing the frog and it turns into a handsome prince?”

“No, not that one,” Gloria replied with a smile. “I mean, who wants a handsome prince when they’re your age?

“You want to be going out, having fun and meeting lots of different boys, not settling down with anyone.”

“My mum has definitely not had this talk with me,” Lacey protested. “I still don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Let me tell you what my mum told me,” her gran began. “Being young and falling in love means kissing a lot of frogs.

“The first boy you kiss isn’t going to be Prince Charming, so you’d better try to enjoy yourself as you search for him.”

“Are you telling me to kiss every boy I meet?” Lacey asked her, looking very surprised.

“No.” Gloria laughed. “I’m just saying that you’re young and there will be lots of boys that you like.

“Some of them, I hate to tell you, will turn out to be toads, but some of them will turn out to be really nice.”

“Did you kiss any toads, Gran?” Lacey asked, her eyes wide with interest.

“Definitely.” Gloria nodded. “It’s just something that you have to learn.

“Funnily enough, my best friend at the time didn’t like him, either.

“She warned me off him and I didn’t listen to her.”

“Like Beth and me,” Lacey said. “You know, I think I’m going to give her a quick ring, Gran.

“I need to tell her what’s been going on. Do you mind?”

Lacey stood up from the kitchen table and reached for her school bag.

“No, you go ahead, love,” Gloria said. “I’ll start setting the table for tea. Your grandad shouldn’t be much longer now.”

Lacey reappeared just as Gloria finished putting the condiments on the kitchen table.

Gloria was glad to see that the girl looked much more like her happy self.

“What was Beth saying?” she asked.

Lacey grinned.

“That she wishes Anne-marie had mentioned to her that she liked Ben.

“She would have told her that he has a new girlfriend every two weeks and not to count on him sticking around.”

Gloria shook her head. “Don’t be too hard on him. He’s kissing frogs, too,” she reminded her.

“I was thinking about that, Gran,” Lacey admitted. “But how do you know when you’ve kissed the right one?

“Did you know Grandad was the right one for you straightaway?”

Gloria considered this as she put out glasses of water.

“I did know there was something special about your grandad. I think the thing that really clinched it was that I didn’t want to kiss any other boys after that.”

“Oh, Gran, that’s so romantic.” Lacey sighed. “I hope it’s like that for me when I fall in love.”

“Well, there’s no rush, love,” Gloria reminded her. “You’ve got plenty of time.”

Her husband, Jim, came in the kitchen door then, carrying their fish and chips in a carrier bag.

“Grub’s up!” he called and gave Lacey a big hug before he put the bag down on the countertop. “Lovely to see you, Lacey. Glad you’re joining us tonight.”

“I’m starving, Grandad!” Lacey declared. “Did you get extra chips?”

Jim raised his eyebrows and smiled at her.

“Of course I did! Are those plates heated, Gloria?”

“All ready,” she told him with a smile, putting the plates down on the countertop and starting to dish up the meal.

“Oh, that was delicious,” Jim declared a little while later, rubbing his stomach happily. “I love fish and chips after a long day.

“To what do we owe the honour of you joining us for tea, Lacey?” he asked. “Fancy a change?”

“Something like that, Grandad,” Lacey replied. “Can I have another slice of bread and butter, Gran?

“I want to make a chip butty out of my last chips.”

“No problem,” Gloria told her, rising to her feet and turning to the bread bin.

“Everything all right?” Jim whispered to her, nodding towards their granddaughter as he placed his plate in the sink beside her.

“Everything’s fine,” she assured him. “It was just time for the kissing frogs talk, that’s all.

“She’s growing up, Jim.” “Well,” Jim began, “she won’t go far wrong with your mum’s advice, that’s for sure.

“How can she be old enough for boyfriends? Weren’t we potty training her three months ago?”

Gloria laughed and kissed his cheek before turning back to their granddaughter.

“How do you feel about ice-cream for dessert, Lacey?” she asked.

Watching Lacey’s face light up in delight, Gloria thought that she wasn’t that grown up after all.

There were definitely going to be a few frogs that had to be kissed first!